Assembly reconvening in Albany Nov. 15

When this issue of our hometown paper reaches us, we will already know the results of the mid-term elections. We can control who we vote for and who we campaign for. But we cannot control the results, only our efforts. Our individual efforts together form a powerful voice.

In spite of who wins and who loses, we cannot drop the ball to temporarily stop a form of drilling for natural gas under shale rock formations called horizontal hydraulic fracturing (also referred to as hydro-fracking or fracking). We have the power to stop this and other states are looking to New York to lead the way.

The Governor has called the New York State Assembly back to Albany Nov. 15 to handle some unfinished business. One of the many bills on the docket is the equivalent of a temporary moratorium on this form of gas drilling which already passed in the State Senate in August (S.8129B). It is time for the Assembly to act to pass A.11443B to ensure adequate review of the public health and environmental concerns before starting to drill.

Please make the following calls. 1) Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at 212-312-1420, 2) Assemblyman and Chair of Environmental Conservation Robert Sweeney at 631-957-2087 and 3) your Assemblyman (for most Kevin Cahill at 845-338-9610). Tell them they must get Bill A.11443B on to the Assembly floor for a yes vote for a temporary moratorium. 4) Call Governor Paterson (518-474-8390) and tell him to encourage Assembly passage and then to sign the bill. Call or e-mail everyone you know in the state to contact their Assembly members.

We have the power to make a difference and get the moratorium passed by the Assembly. We’re counting on you. ARE YOU IN?

Rosalyn Cherry

New Paltz

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What is Toni Hokanson thinking

Wow! I thought I had seen everything; however, I can now honestly say that I am surprised by having experienced the full affect of the radical, leftist, special-interest group serving the Town of New Paltz Board with its enactment of overzealous wetland laws, flood plain laws and the like.

We now see the proposal of an unconscionable, unjustifiable and irresponsible 2011 town budget. What in the world is going through Supervisor Toni Hokanson’s mind? Really, in this fiscal crisis, with the Bush tax cuts expired, gasoline exceeding $3 a gallon again, the housing market in the tank, the stock market as unstable as it has been since the Great Depression, lay-offs, foreclosures, national health care, etc. This is Hokanson’s answer? This is the proposal that will ease our minds and help us sleep at night? I think not!

Thank God Councilman Jeff Logan of the New Paltz Town Board and Mayor Terry Dungan of the village are speaking out and attempting to defend and represent the taxpayers in light of this -- the most ridiculous proposal and tentative budget we could see under these economic circumstances. I have a better proposal for Supervisor Hokanson -- do us all a favor and step down from your position or in other words, quit, resign, leave. We, the un-silent majority, have had enough of you and politicians like you! The alternative is that you will be fired, impeached or cast out of office to be forever known in New Paltz as the worst supervisor that this town has ever had the misfortune of electing.

Since the surfacing of this story and the tentative tax hike, I have already spoken to three residents that have begun preparations to sell their homes and six others who are considering similar actions. My family and I may also be joining them if this is allowed to move forward. You and or your supporters may be wealthy or able to afford a 14+ percentage budgetary hit, but the rest of us -- the average everyday residents that struggle daily to make ends meet -- cannot.

Seriously, statements like, “I will re-examine the math” and “Throw me in jail with the governor” are not only infantile and a cop-out at the very least, but are also like “excuses.” We all know that saying.

Some final thoughts: The board agreed on a “zero increase or negative budget” as quoted in the “Out of the park” article of the New Paltz Times. What is the disconnect and how did “we” end up at 14+ (town) and 18+ (village) percentage increases respectively in this supervisor’s budget proposal? At this point, any budgetary increases are unacceptable; the preferred scenario would include a negative budget and a reduction in property taxes.

Dear politicians please see the light -- fellow taxpayers please do not sit idly in silence accepting this business-as-usual attitude. Do not ignore this blatant disregard for our families and our lives. When I cannot afford to buy something in a store, I do not get the item and I do not use a credit card. Hence, I either go without the item or buy it later. Governments at all levels need to start doing this very thing.

Elected representatives must stop mortgaging our children’s futures. We should not have to suffer or foot the bill because “they” lack the self-control or sense of responsibility required to think about what serves our best interests. Regarding this issue and for the future, please remember that you are in this with us; please consider the ramifications of your decisions before you make them. Thank you.

Mark Newman

New Paltz

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Fire district died quietly from the neglect it deserved

Upon invitation, I submitted a series of questions about a month ago to the New Paltz Village Board regarding the proposed fire district. For a few days, a few inadequate and uninformative answers were visible on the official village website -- then they disappeared.

The answers were to a handful of cherry-picked questions and seemed to have been generated by some mysterious committee charged with carrying out that onerous task. Most of the questions I submitted went unanswered.

However, the inadequacy of the village’s answers was outdone by those of the town supervisor who has totally ignored everybody’s questions about the fire district. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised -- her policy seems to be to ignore all questions on all topics.

So much for the free and open discussion, the generous sharing of information, the democratic regard for the rights of interested citizens and the common decency we have every right to expect from our elected officials.

I guess I shouldn’t complain. The fire district is a dead issue, unsupported by the town and village governments, it died quietly of the neglect it so richly deserved.

John Logan

New Paltz

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Hokanson will be looking for a new job next year

It is a real diamond in the rough for neighbors to join together in these busy and financially bad times to speak out for their own rights rather than sit passively by hoping that the leaders of our community are honest and have integrity. Unfortunately, our leaders are sneaky and underhanded. The flood laws are the tip of the iceberg. I’ve seen enough back-door politics in New Paltz under Toni Hokanson’s administration to make your head spin. At last Thursdays Town Board meeting she changed the start time from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. without notice and the meeting didn’t actually start until 7:45 p.m. Toni has decided to give herself a raise in this poor economic climate and instead of being a leader and setting a good example of scale back, she increased the budget 7.5%. I know other town councilmen and asked how they kept the budget at zero percent with the dreadful 27 percent increase that Obama care has created, and he said they increased the deductible to the town employees. If every year our town budget increased seven percent, our taxes would double in ten years.

Toni insists on creating this glorious park at the fairgrounds on the backs of taxpayers rather than on contributions from business or corporations -- Citi-field, Bank of America sports complex, P&G’s softball field -- you get the idea.

The fire contract continues to be an issue. The town will not pay the village for past fire service to the tune of $230K, due eight months ago. At last week’s board meeting, board members Jeff Logan and Kitty Brown pushed Toni to a motion to pay the village $115K as soon as possible against her displeasure. Toni is acting like a ten year old, tick for tack. I think Logan and Brown are watching the tax dollars and cents. Jane Ann Williams -- deputy supervisor and Toni’s yes person -- and Toni should get their resumés together because they will be looking for new jobs next year. If Dave Lewis gets off the fence and votes more for the people, he may survive it. Too much to write about, so I’ll leave something for you.

Ray Lunati

New Paltz

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One Book One New Paltz

This year’s One Book One New Paltz pick is “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers. I am thrilled that my local book club has selected the One Book selection for the third year in a row, and highly recommend that those of you in book clubs do the same this coming November.

“Zeitoun” is an extremely powerful story about one family caught up in a Hurricane Katrina and post-911 nexus. It is the true story of a Syrian immigrant who stays in New Orleans to protect his home and business, and ends up being a hero, saving others who were unable to flee the city. But, shortly thereafter, he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. Despite the tragedy this family encounters, it is story about the human spirit and is a remarkably, quick easy read -- mostly because it is very hard to put it down once you start reading it!

Whether via your book club or on your own, I suggest you read “Zeitoun” and then participate in some of the many events scheduled for the One Book One New Paltz week of Nov. 12th through 20th. On the SUNY New Paltz campus and across our community, there will be book discussions, presentations by Katrina volunteers and related poetry, film and musical endeavors. For more information, visit www.onebookonenewpaltz.org.

kt tobin

New Paltz

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Beautiful surroundings

On behalf of the Gardiner Library Board of Trustees and staff, I would like to thank George Majestic, Barbara Sides and Marie and Bob Zapf for making the landscaping around the Gardiner Library a reality. The “new” Gardiner Library opened its doors in the fall of 2008, but due to a lack of landscaping funds, had to postpone landscaping. Thanks to fundraising efforts and the generous support of library supporters over the past two years, the Board of Trustees was able to commit funds to the landscaping project.

The landscaping team hired Gordon Pine Landscaping for the landscaping project. However, the project would not be complete if not for the efforts of the following Gardiner Library patrons and Gardiner businesses that donated labor and materials to the project: Sue Stegen, Rick and Laura Majestic, Paul Colucci, Fred Gerty, Gordie Pine, Gary Upright, Paul Trapani, Majestic Underground, Inc., Tantillo Landscape Supplies and Services, Inc., and the Town of Gardiner Highway Department. These Gardiner Library supporters donated $9,000 worth of labor and materials towards the project, above and beyond the allotted landscaping budget.

If you haven’t seen the Gardiner Library lately, check us out!

Susan Hill, President

Gardiner Library Board of Trustees

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Kudos to the New Paltz varsity football team

It is through hard work and perseverance that success is achieved. Coach Tegeler and the New Paltz High School varsity football team have demonstrated that success over and over during the 2010 football season. I’m sure last Friday’s game brought great disappointment, but the football season goes way beyond one game. What an incredible record they hold!

They are also an exceptional group of men. This year’s football team brought back an unbelievable community spirit that has not been seen in years. Not only did the NPHS students and faculty unite together, but a town of longtime residents and NPHS alumni were all overcome with Maroon Pride.

The team should be very proud of your season, the record you hold and the fine example of what a team can accomplish within their school and community.

Kudos!

Theresa Colucci

Gardiner

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A successful Celebration of the Arts

On Saturday of Columbus Day weekend, COTA once again shined with a day full of art, music, performance, dance, authors, poets, children’s activities and more! This day would not have been possible without the support of the following: first and foremost the producers of the event -- The Arts Community -- who has been committed to COTA from its inception. To Historic Huguenot Street for welcoming us on their grounds. To Water Street Market for hosting The BRAWL and the COTA Lecture Series. To the BRAWL ladies for kicking off COTA. To Cabaloosa for opening its doors to a Rock ‘n’ Roll COTA fundraiser and to the bands that made it happen that night. To all of the New Paltz businesses that opened their windows, walls and property to our COTA artists and signage. To the Teen Seen volunteers and to the SUNY Art Education Students for volunteering throughout the day. To the Pi Alpha Nu fraternity for helping us put up and take down signs and for cleaning up the site at the speed of light. To the Chronogram for their endless support. To Dedrick’s, Ulster Savings Bank and Fox & Hound for their financial support. To Trio Design for always making COTA look great. To The Park day care center in Highland. To those who volunteered in the childrens’ area and to those who offered their talents and expertise in the COTA lecture series and sample dance classes. To UCAT for providing transportation to and from Historic Huguenot Street. To all of our artists, musicians, dancers, performers and authors for making the day what it is. And to our community for coming out in droves and showing that art and culture matter to you! COTA thanks you from the bottom of our hearts!

Melanie Cronin

New Paltz

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Highland Farmers Market 2010

Farmers markets support a sustainable food system by offering regionally grown produce. Small family farms stay in business, land is protected from development and consumers receive fresh food that does not travel far. The Town of Lloyd Events Committee would like to thank our Farmers Market 2010 vendors: AC Rhodes, Meadow View Farm, Evel’s Sweets, Glorie Farm Winery, Fran Hales of the Pampered Chef, Lourile Designs, Luigi Oils, Nevins Farms and Wilklow Farms. These local businesses, farms and wineries support our residents and visitors to think local, buy local and eat local.

A great big thanks to our market manager Rosalie Kelsall. Without Rosalie’s dedication for the past 18 weeks of overseeing the vendors, traffic control and paperwork, the town would not be able to provide this successful market. Thank you so much Rosalie. Thank you ALL for another successful market season.

Wendy Rosinski, Chairperson

Town of Lloyd Events Committee

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We don’t make things up

A recent letter in the New Paltz Times with the heading “I saw it coming” calls into question the integrity of the chairperson of the Town of Lloyd Ethics Board. It even goes broader than that to refer to “ethical challenges that at least some of the Ethics Board members” present.

I am vice chair of the Ethics Board, a position I have held since the board was first formed, and I have been at every one of its meetings. Without revealing any details of our deliberations and approach, I can assure the public that the writer of that letter is totally wrong. Jill Indelicato, chairperson of our board, is fair almost to a fault in all that she does in that function. Indelicato makes certain that we confine ourselves to ethics as defined by the town’s ethics law, not what we might think is ethical or not. When the law may seem to be unclear on a matter, she seeks legal advice. We don’t make things up.

Indelicato and members of this Ethics Board leave their opinions and any hearsay they have heard parked at the door. If there is any potential conflict of interest, members recuse themselves early and totally; they leave the room. They do not participate in any way with later deliberations, nor are they given updates as a case proceeds.

On a personal note, I have been serving or attending committee meetings in both the corporate world and community organizations for almost 50 years. Indelicato is the best chairperson I have ever seen. She is focused and keeps us on the straight and narrow. She is thorough in searching out the facts in a case. The atmosphere is one of caution and deliberation without any rush to judgment.

Dealing with ethical situations is never easy nor cut and dry. The town could not ask for a better chairperson and board to deal with such difficult issues.

Rafael Diaz, Vice Chair

Town of Lloyd Ethics Board

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With friends like you I don’t need enemies

Robin Yess said she was a friend to the lesbian/gay community and what a shame they did not recognize this when she invited Carl Paladino to Ulster County. Paladino’s hurtful, inflamed and bigoted speech against equality to the Hasidic community in New York City was the tip of the iceberg just days before the GOP’s dark circus came to town. Well, I must of missed something. With fellow Americans like this, we don’t need enemies!

What if Carl Paladino had said black people were dysfunctional and his church doesn’t allow them to marry? Would Ms. Yess still have accompanied him all over Ulster County? Many would say yes. Not too long ago a pastor down south refused to marry an inter-racial couple because he said it went against the teachings of his church. Gee, maybe you and Carl belong to that church too? I’m a firm believer that a bigot, is a bigot, is a bigot.

Just for the record Ms. Yess, there are plenty of churches that will marry same sex couples. I can think of two ministers that went on to marry over 200 couples when Jason West was slapped with a restraining order to stop marrying same sex couples just seven years ago. Opps, I’m sorry, that must not be the same church Carl attends. As we all know, the Catholic Church is overflowing with gay priests. Again, what do both of you know about the sanctity of marriage? Your boy was in a ten-year adulterous affair and had a child out of wedlock. Very strange how you look up to him -- blows us away too. And for the record most of the people who protested you and your new boy Paladino in New Paltz were straight, not gay -- straight elected officials and straight mothers with children.

Of course there is the separation of church and state, but I guess the local GOP doesn’t believe in that either. The true colors of the “republithugs” have been shown the last few months. I actually feel sorry for you that you proudly and ignorantly wear those colors as well.

So, thanks Ms. Yess for your help in planning for the estates of same sex couples. What was the charge on that service? How much did you profit from this kindness you offered? And how many gay and lesbian couples could have avoided that cost with a simple will had they been allowed to legally marry?

I have spoken to many people in regard to your hatred and bigoted views and people are shocked. They had no idea that this is really the person you are and they have thanked me for speaking up and standing up to you and bringing it to their attention. I have now received many new friends and supporters -- the letters are pouring in. I think I’ll take a pass on the friendship you once offered. With friends like you I don’t need enemies!

Billiam van Roestenberg

Clintondale

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A threat to their control

On Oct. 21 I was driving south on New Route 32 to New Paltz High School to pick up my son (who is a junior) to take him to his dentist appointment. After I passed SUNY New Paltz and was in the 45 MPH zone, I noticed a police car’s flashing lights behind me. I pulled over to let him pass. To my surprise he pulled in behind me. He got out of the patrol car, came over to my car and asked to see my driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance (all of which I had up to date). I asked what I was being stopped for. The SUNY officer refused to tell me, but told me to wait and went back to his patrol car. After about seven to ten minutes he came back to my car and handed me a ticket, which he finally told me was for going 47 miles in the 30 mile-per-hour zone near SUNY.

I was amazed at this charge, as I, like many Newpalzians, know there’s a speed trap permanently located near SUNY that’s rigorously monitored by the college police. For that reason I have always been very careful to drive at 30 miles per hour or under when driving past SUNY. I think the officer made a mistake and I intend to fight it.

This was not my first interaction with SUNY police. Four years ago my oldest son Mark, who was a SUNY student and suffers with asperger’s syndrome, had a close encounter with SUNY cops. Mark was just sitting in his “student permitted” car at night in the SUNY library parking lot under a street light, when four plainclothes (I think they had a small nametag that said “police” on their ski jackets) figures came out of dark and surrounded his car. Probably due to Mark’s asperger’s condition, he panicked and started driving away. The cops drew their guns and aimed them at my son.

Fortunately, Mark stopped his car and wasn’t killed. They took him in handcuffs to their office where he was repeatedly yelled and cursed at by the sergeant in charge. Mark eventually pleaded guilty to the charge of misdemeanor reckless endangerment (on the advice of his lawyer, Andy Kossover, and against mine), with the provision that charges be dropped after a period of time. I would have written about this before, but Mark was near graduation and was afraid of retaliation against him by the college and/or their police.

I’ve recently produced public access TV shows where SUNY students were frequently in attendance. Nearly unanimously they were outspoken in their condemnation of the campus police. As we and the nearly 8,000 SUNY students share the campus (and town) police, I don’t know why the students don’t have representative seats on the town’s Police Commission.

I sometimes get the feeling that some dark local political, SUNY and business cabal sees student participation in New Paltz community life as a threat to their control over us.

Bill Mulcahy

New Paltz

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Resignation does not minimize accomplishments

In a recent letter to your publication, Mr. Steele of Highland criticizes the Town of Lloyd’s Ethics Board, referring to “ethical challenges that at least some of the Ethics Board’s members presented.” While that accusation is vague and ill-defined, he goes on to suggest that this “ethically challenged” board somehow pushed Supervisor Raymond Costantino into resigning from the Highland Landing Park Association’s Board of Directors, the Hudson Valley Rail Trail Board of Directors and the Town Water and Sewer Committee. In fact, the Ethics Board has made no recommendations in these matters and I am sure that if Mr. Steele attended Town Board meetings, he would know that.

As a member of the Highland Landing Park Board, I was present when Supervisor Costantino informed us of his resignation from our board. At the recommendation of legal counsel, he had decided that his presence on such boards had the potential for the appearance of conflict of interest, and so was inadvisable. Mr. Steele is absolutely right that Ray Costantino has achieved much for the Town of Lloyd. His decision to resign from three positions in no way minimizes his sizeable accomplishments.

Donna Deeprose

Highland

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Hear the voices from the “other” side

Our government gives $3 billion dollars of our tax money to Israel every year and only tells Israel’s side of the story. Our mass media is also guilty of nearly always presenting Israel’s version of events and reality. If you want to hear the “other side of the story”, the Palestinian perspective, come to a panel discussion at SUNY New Paltz on Nov. 10 in the Coykendall Science building at 7 p.m. Speakers will include retired Colonel Ann Wright, professor/author Joel Kovel and many others with extensive experience and knowledge of the Israel/Palestine conflict. For more information go to www.mideastcrisis.org or call 255-5779. If you have ever had any doubts or questions about our foreign policy towards Israel, come and listen. Come and hear the rarely heard voices from the “other” side, it will definitely give you something to think about.

Eli Kassirer

New Paltz

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Constitutional study group

Our constitutional freedoms are our most precious possessions. Like most Americans, I should know more about our important documents and what they contain, the better to protect and defend our unique form of government. GardinersRight.org is hosting a constitutional study group on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 7 p.m., at the Town Hall in Gardiner.

It’s open to all and free of charge. Bring a copy of the Declaration and Constitution if you have one. You do not need to be a constitutional scholar as it’s an open learning discussion. Please contact me at 255-3557 if you have questions.

Pamela O’Dell

Gardiner

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Quality service

With so many serious and difficult issues affecting daily life and the future, it is a great pleasure to turn to two stores in New Paltz which have worked very hard to bring good things to customers.

Once again the ShopRite staff has been making special efforts to have a multitude of merchandize available and are obviously constantly working on how to create a very good shopping experience for its customers.

The friendliness and helpfulness is often touching, especially when as a senior, you need more of it. They clearly mean it when they ask at the checkout, have you found everything you wanted?

The other store that has hopefully returned to its status several years back, is Agway, which I am sure many New Paltzians like. Again, the atmosphere has changed and the whole aspect is one of a good comeback. During the summer, the outdoors part was simply lovely. One just wanted to sit among the plants and colors.

Both these stores make New Paltz nicer and their quality and friendliness make shopping a pleasure. Thank you for your efforts of offering quality service.

Johanna Sayre

New Paltz

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We can do better

Bob Berman gets it wrong when he strays from astronomy to promote nuclear power. (Almanac 10/14/10). And his response to Julian Lines (10/21), suggests that his info, especially the claim that no one has died from nuclear power, comes from nuclear industry talking points, not science.

Over 50 people died quickly from the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Even the pro-nuclear IAEA estimated 4,000 excess deaths by 2004; other estimates run much higher. Thousands of square kilometers of The Ukraine remain uninhabitable. The nuclear toll worldwide from “normal” leakage could be “astronomical.”

The statement that waste “steadily decays into harmlessness” is laughable. Deadly Plutonium 239, produced when Uranium 238 captures stray neutrons from fissioning U235, has a half life of 24,065 years. While some radionucleides have much shorter half lives, that of U 238 is 4.5 billion years. After which only half has decayed. I looked it up in a physics book, Bob!

Berman’s statement that the only alternative to a fire in your furnace or woodstove is to use electric (resistance) heat, ignores geothermal, which uses less electricity and passive solar which uses none. While of course we get few sun hours in winter, he ignores super efficient building designs that practically heat themselves with waste heat from cooking, lighting, refrigeration, body heat, passive solar etc. Europeans are leading in this area. Habitat for Humanity is building such a house in northern Vermont.

Nothing is more misleading than the suggestion that nuclear power is carbon free. Every energy source needs to be evaluated on “energy return on investment” (EROI). Photovoltaic solar panels need one to three years to recoup the energy of manufacture and installation, but last decades. Solar thermal, especially passive, has a much higher EROI. While nuclear fission is carbon neutral, the many fossil inputs to the nuclear fuel cycle make nuclear a marginal energy source, and major greenhouse contributor. Two-thirds of the energy is waste heat. Then factoring the energy to rocket millions of tons of waste into the sun, we’re talking real kerosene!

The Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS.org) estimates that 1500-2000 nukes ($6-$10 billion a pop) replacing coal plants could theoretically cut carbon 20%, but by wasting money that could otherwise be spent on renewables, would increase carbon. Easily extractable uranium would soon be depleted, forcing mining of lower-grade ore, and even higher greenhouse emissions. If one reactor were built every two weeks (they currently take six to ten years) it would take 60 years to build 1500 reactors. So much for “near term”! The waste would require many huge waste dumps, needing to be guarded in virtual perpetuity. By contrast, Consolidated Edison (!) just broke ground on a 20 megawatt solar farm in New Jersey that will be on line by spring. (Kingston Freeman 10/21 p. C6).

Any astronomer knows that Earth receives 1,000 watts (1Kw) of solar energy per square meter. Enough hits the U.S. in a half hour to meet our energy needs for a year. Any civilization that squanders savings while discarding income is doomed to extinction.

Conservation, such as the “Passiv Haus”, weatherization, efficient lighting etc., eliminates seven times as much carbon per dollar as nuclear. Wind energy about twice as much. These are conservative estimates, because of nuclear plants’ notorious down time. The energy costs of even one major accident or terrorist attack would dwarf any greenhouse mitigation.

Greedy corporations and the politicians they buy, love obsolete technologies that keep lining the same old pockets. We can do better.

Edmund Haffmans

Accord

Bob Berman responds:

Mr. Haffman’s letter is biased and largely incorrect. He mischaracterizes my article, whose clear point was that solar and geothermal ARE ideal, but are not yet presently available in adequate amounts. To get through the next 25 years AND reduce carbon, nuclear should play a role. This is also the position of the President, the New York Times and many environmentalists.

Nuclear wastes are a problem, and this includes those used in medicine. But sealing in a dry salt mountain should be adequate on the time scales in which they decay. (The larger times cites by Haffman are incorrect because those are not the wastes actually generated.)

Haffman doesn’t mention that coal plants release far more radioactivity into the air than nukes do. And with their carbon and soot, they indisputably cost 10,000 to 20,000 annual lives to lung disease. Why isn’t he calling for their closing, since they are inarguably far more dangerous? He cites Europe when it’s convenient, but fails to mention that Europe’s electricity is largely nuclear -- 85% for France, with the public largely supporting it. Strange how he missed that. Then he cites Chernobyl, but surely knows that it was a criminal plant; we never have and never will build anything like it. It didn’t even have a containment dome, for starters. Citing Chernobyl is like citing NASCAR crash statistics when discussing automobile safety. In reality, not a single American has ever been killed by nuclear power in its 60 years of operation -- a safety record unmatched even by hydro. And far from “obsolete technology,” I doubt this writer has any clue what the new 4th gen nuclear plants are like, with their impressive fail-safes and lower fuel requirements.

Nonetheless, the issue is not simple. There are pros and cons to all power sources. The important thing is to be realistic. Photovoltaics will not be available to generate adequate replacement electricity at an affordable cost for many years to come. I urge readers to ignore me, and also to ignore false, distorted views like Haffman’s. Do your own research -- it’s out there on the web. Look at benefits versus risks versus costs and see whether you side with Haffman, or, instead, with the New York Times editorial board.